New Toyota Sudden Acceleration Claim Leads to Further Investigation from Regulators

Although Toyota began work toward settling numerous sudden acceleration lawsuits in December of this past year, US federal safety regulators say that they are now investigating several new Toyota sudden acceleration claims, this time involving the Corolla instead of the Camry.

On Monday, September 29th, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it is examining 163 new complaints of Toyota sudden acceleration covering about 1.69 million Toyota Corollas from model years 2006 to 2010. However, this is only an inquiry, not a full investigation, the regulatory agency insisted.

The inquiry was initiated after a petition from Rhode Island resident Kathy Ruginis, who claims that her Toyota Corolla surged forward suddenly, causing her to hit a Jeep, even though she was attempting to brake the vehicle at the time. Data from the vehicle’s event-data recorder backs up Ruginis’s claim.

Since 2009, Toyota has recalled more than 11 million vehicles, including the Camry and several Lexus lines, due to problems with the floor mat which caused the accelerator to stick. The company has also paid more than $65 million in federal fines for violating safety regulation in the US. In July 2013, Toyota also agreed to a $1.6 million settlement involving a class action lawsuit brought forth by consumers who suffered financial losses related to Toyota sudden acceleration.

In February this year, Toyota admitted to US regulators and consumers that it had deceived them regarding the Toyota sudden acceleration complaints, and settled a criminal complaint with the Department of Justice for $1.2 billion, the largest penalty so far ever imposed on an automotive company. The four-year criminal investigation alleged that Toyota failed to properly report sudden acceleration claims to the NHTSA.

In Ruginis’s claim, she said that Toyota first fixed her floor mat, then the gas pedal in two separate vehicle recalls that attempted to find the source of the vehicles’ sudden acceleration problem. However, after the fixes, Ruginis said that her car still had a history of “briefly surging” about two to four times per month.

“In addition to evidence from our crash incident, we are providing evidence that many other Corolla owners are experiencing similarly unsafe scenarios that are leading to crashes,” said a portion of the consumer’s letter posted Monday on NHTSA’s website.

Toyota said that it would comply with any investigation requests from the NHTSA regarding the latest sudden acceleration claims.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Vehicle Recall Wrongful Death Cases

If you have experienced a problem with a defective product in your automobile, especially if a defective part or sudden acceleration has led to an auto accident, personal injury, or wrongful death, and a proper vehicle recall notice has not been issued, you may be entitled to compensation. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. We can help you with complicated auto insurance claims, and make sure you receive the compensation you deserve to help you with lost income and medical bills. Our attorneys are licensed to practice in South Carolina, Georgia, and New York. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case, so contact us today at (803) 252-4800.